Snowbound with the CEO

by Stacey, Shannon

  “God, are we there yet?”

  “Close enough,” he said, and then, finally, he was kissing her.

  His mouth was gentle on hers at first, until her arms wrapped around his neck and she moaned against his lips. Then he devoured her.

  Sixteen months of imagining this moment and he hadn’t even come close to how amazing it was. It was...perfect. Worth every agonizing month of wishing and waiting.

  But it was far too short. Some wiseass gave a wolf whistle and Rachel pulled her face away, laughing. “We’re making a spectacle of ourselves, Adrian.”

  The sound of his name on her lips was as potent as a physical caress. “You know, that’s the first time you’ve ever called me by my first name.”

  He regretted the words when the laughter left her eyes. “I...you know, that’s why this was a bad idea. You’re my boss and, quite frankly, even if you didn’t kiss like some sort of...Greek god of kissing, there’s nobody else I’d rather work for. I love my job, and having a one-night stand with your boss is an incredibly stupid thing to do.”

  She tried to pull away, but he held her fast. “Whoa. First, your job is not in jeopardy. You are invaluable to me. You could probably whack me over the head with a wine bottle and steal my wallet and I wouldn’t fire you. Second, I like the Greek god thing. And third, since I’ve only heard you call me Adrian in my mind—sometimes when I’m dreaming and sometimes when I’m in the shower—I want to hear it from you more often.”

  Her cheeks reddened at his blunt words. “It just feels a little weird, dancing with you under the mistletoe.”

  Adrian tipped her face up so he could see her eyes. “You don’t feel pressured, do you? Like if you say no, it could hurt your job?”

  Much to his relief, her smile was an honest one. “No, I don’t. I kissed you because I’ve wanted to for a very long time.”

  Anticipation coursed through him and he pulled her hips closer so she could feel it, too. “Good. Now, back to my list. Fourth, you and I having a one-night stand hasn’t even crossed my mind.”

  * * *

  Rachel felt her cheeks grow hot and she fixed her gaze on his top button.

  A one-night stand hadn’t crossed his mind? Where, exactly, did he think the dancing, kissing and the impressive erection pressed against her hip were leading?

  Adrian kissed the side of her neck and she shivered when his mouth moved to her ear so he could whisper, “It’s going to be more than a one-night stand. I’ve wanted you for too long to get my fill of you in one night. It’ll be at least two.”

  The chuckle after his words tickled her skin and she shivered. “I think we’ve gone as far as we can with an audience short of an indecent exposure charge.”

  “Will you spend the night with me, Rachel?” She nodded and he groaned into her hair. “You’re sure?”

  She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him until everything around them—the other patrons, the carol piping through the speakers—faded away. When he broke it off and stared into her eyes as though searching for something, she took his hand and led him toward the exit.

  It took them almost six minutes to reach Adrian’s room and Rachel didn’t allow herself even a second of it for second thoughts. Tonight was for the bedroom. She’d worry about the boardroom later.

  When the door closed, Adrian stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist as he nuzzled the back of her neck. “Have I told you how much I love your new perfume?”

  How did he know it was new? They’d discontinued her former favorite fragrance a month before and she’d had to scramble to find a new scent. “No, I don’t think you have.”

  “You wore this one for the first time the day of the Edelstein meeting. I was so distracted I forgot the name of his company three different times.”

  When he slid his hands under her sweater and brushed his fingertips across her bare stomach, Rachel almost forgot what they were talking about. “I...you didn’t look distracted.”

  “That’s because of all the practice.” His hands came to rest under her breasts, not quite touching them, and she sank back against him with a sigh. “Every single work day for the last sixteen months I’ve had to pretend I didn’t want you—had to pretend I gave a shit about somebody’s expense report when all I wanted to do was touch you.”

  With a shiver, Rachel admitted to herself that her career wasn’t the only thing she was doing a poor job of protecting. Her heart was in just as much peril as her job.

  Traveling together as often as they did lent itself to a certain amount of intimacy. Not intimacy in the sense of his hands brushing over her naked stomach on their way to her breasts as they currently were, but in the sense of knowing each other very, very well.

  She’d been a little bit in love with Adrian Blackstone for months and now, knowing the sexual chemistry was as potent as she’d imagined, she was in danger of sliding from a little bit into a full-blown, breathless, break-out-the-show-tunes-in-the-shower kind of love.

  “Is that distraction why you signed off on reimbursing Dana for her coffee shop runs?” she teased, thinking maybe if she kept things light, she could keep her emotions out of it.

  “I reimbursed the coffee because it was keeping a new mother sane.” He nipped at her earlobe as his hands finally cupped her breasts, and the dual sensations made her suck in a breath. “Probably the same reason you worked late for three weeks after she came back from maternity leave so nobody would know she was struggling to catch up.”

  “I didn’t know you knew about that.”

  “I know everything that happens in my company, especially if you’re involved. And your compassion is one of the things I find very, very attractive about you.” His thumbs brushed her nipples through the satin of her bra. “Along with your eyes, your smile, your sense of humor. Those legs. Your laugh.”

  Rachel grabbed the bottom of her sweater and pulled it over her head, hoping to prod him into less list-making and more lovemaking.

  “Oh, Merry Christmas to me,” Adrian murmured, and then he spun her in his arms so she faced him.

  Any response she might have made fled her mind as Adrian slid the straps of her festive red bra down over her shoulders. While his hands slid under the satin to bare her breasts to his touch, she began working on his buttons.

  Adrian Blackstone worked out. A lot. Rachel ran her fingertips across the tan expanse of his chest, her body shuddering as he grazed her nipples with his thumbs.

  “I’m not sure how slow I can take this,” he told her in a husky voice. “Just being near you has had me aroused for almost a year and a half, so you touching me...let’s just say I’m gritting my teeth and reciting football stats in my head so I don’t embarrass myself.”

  “Then let’s expedite this first meeting and schedule a lengthy, in-depth follow-up.”

  He laughed and unhooked the clasp of her bra. “Since you’re the keeper of my agenda, when can you pencil in that follow-up?”

  Emboldened by their casual ease, Rachel slid her hands down his taut stomach and unfastened his pants. “Twenty minutes from now?”

  Adrian let his shirt slide to the floor and started backing her toward the bed. “Let’s get to expediting, then.”

  The next few minutes passed in a sensual haze of stripping, kissing and touching. A lot of touching. His hands squeezed her breasts, holding her nipples captive to his tongue until she whimpered with need. As he teased her, she explored his body with her fingertips, feeling the muscles in his shoulders and his back and his ass.

  And it was even better than the many times she’d imagined it.

  “I’ve thought about this so many times and the reality is even better than the fantasy,” Adrian told her, lifting his head from her breasts, and she smiled at the synchronicity of their thoughts.

  The smile died, though, as
his hand slipped between her legs. She arched her back as his fingers stroked her, the sensation almost too much to bear. And when he slid one finger inside of her, she couldn’t stop the moan.

  “You feel so good,” he whispered against her hair.

  “I want to feel you.”

  Far too soon—and yet not soon enough—Rachel heard the crinkle of a condom wrapper and then Adrian was between her thighs. She sighed as he slowly entered her, his hard length pushing deeper with each slow stroke. The feeling was exquisite and she plunged her hand into his hair, making him kiss her as he finally buried himself fully inside of her.

  He groaned against her mouth as he moved, and the raw sound inflamed her. Running her hands over his shoulder blades, she raised her hips, finding his rhythm and then urging him to thrust faster. Harder.

  His back was hot and slick under her hands, and she reveled in the feel of his naked skin. As he moved within her, his breath blew hot against her neck and she closed her eyes to savor the sensations.

  “You are so beautiful,” he said in a husky voice as his fingertips bit into her breast.

  She moaned as the orgasm shook her and met him thrust for thrust as it racked her body. And when he collapsed on top of her, panting as much as she was, she wrapped her arms around him and held tight.

  “That was worth waiting for,” he mumbled into her hair a few minutes later. Rachel wholeheartedly agreed.

  She’d wanted Adrian for a long time, but the reality had been even better than she’d imagined. No matter what happened tomorrow—or more aptly on Monday—she was going to enjoy this night with him to the fullest.

  Chapter Three

  Adrian wasn’t a morning person, as a rule. It took three snooze cycles for him to surrender to the alarm clock and more than one cup of coffee to make him coherent. But today, even as he opened his eyes, he was smiling. Wrapped around Rachel, with his face buried in her hair, was one hell of a good way to wake up.

  He could hear the sleet driving against the window and that meant he had at least today with her. He’d have to make the most of it.

  As much as he wanted to share breakfast with her in the smaller, romantic dining room with the view of the frozen lake, it would be too easy to go their separate ways. Once they were done eating, she could say she had work to do and disappear into her room. Just like that, the walls would be back up between them. If he ordered room service, they’d stay right here in his room. He liked that idea a lot.

  He nuzzled through her hair to kiss the side of her neck. “You awake?”

  “Coffee,” she mumbled so softly he barely heard her.

  “Do you want coffee now or do you want to go down to the dining room?”

  “Coffee now.”

  If he’d ever thought too much about it, Adrian would have guessed Rachel was a morning person. She showed up at the office every weekday morning bright-eyed and ready to plow through whatever work was in front of her. Then again, she probably wasn’t up late every night making love. He hoped.

  He ran his hand over her hip but when she didn’t stir, he chuckled and slid out of bed. After pulling on a pair of boxer briefs, he went to the coffeemaker and brewed them each a mug. While the machine worked, he plugged his phone in to charge since he’d been too preoccupied the night before to go through the routine.

  The shower started in the bathroom and Adrian gave a few seconds’ thought to joining her. But he had a feeling she was more interested in his coffee than anything else he had to offer right then. He fixed hers with cream and sugar, then took a few sips of his as he walked to the window.

  Pulling the drapes open didn’t let a lot of light into the room. On the other side of the glass, the day was dark and gray, with the light obliterated by the snowy, icy mix. It made for a dreary look, rather than the festive appearance of fat white flakes, but he didn’t mind. With nothing better to do, it was the kind of day for curling up with Rachel in front of one of the resort’s many fireplaces.

  She finally emerged from the bathroom wrapped in one of the resort’s thick, blue robes. Her feet were bare and her hair fell in wet, blond waves. He watched her go straight for the coffee mug and she actually closed her eyes when she took the first sip. Then she took a few more before finally making eye contact with him.

  “Thank you,” she said, giving him a sleepy smile. “I’m not very sociable before my first cup, I’m afraid.”

  “I wasn’t sure if I should order room service or not.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t usually eat right after I wake up.”

  “Me, either.” He sat in one of the overstuffed armchairs near the window, setting his mug on the ornate table next to it. “Your hair looked different last night. And this morning, too.”

  She ran a hand over her hair, as if she was self-conscious about it. “I use a lot of product and a flat iron to get it smooth for work.”

  “Why do you bother? I like the work look, but I liked last night’s, too. It looked soft.” He grinned. “It felt soft, too.”

  “The ponytail’s low maintenance and looks good all day, no matter what the weather is. But if didn’t straighten it, it wouldn’t look as polished. I’d look like I couldn’t be bothered to do my hair, so I put it in a ponytail instead.”

  “Oh.” He wasn’t sure he saw the difference between a sleek ponytail and a wavy ponytail and decided to chalk it up to being one of those feminine mysteries men shouldn’t even try to understand. “Well, I like it both ways.”

  He was thankful when she walked over and sat in the other armchair. Morning-afters were awkward enough without her looking as if she might bolt from the room if she could figure out a way to do it without spilling her coffee.

  “Doesn’t look like we’ll be going home today,” he said. “Probably not a good day for cross country skiing, either.”

  She turned toward him, tucking her legs up on the chair in a way that threatened to turn the robe into a peepshow. “Do you cross country ski?”

  “No.” He laughed. “It was the only outside activity I could think of. Do you?”

  “Not in years. I wasn’t very good at it. And I was even worse at downhill.”

  “I never learned how to ski.”

  She took a sip of her coffee before setting her mug down next to his. “Are you allowed to be from Vermont and not know how to ski?”

  “We didn’t have a lot of money, so I grew up thinking skiing was for rich kids.” He thought about it for a few seconds and realized he didn’t know a lot about Rachel outside of her professional qualifications. “Where did you grow up?”

  “Many places. My dad was in the Air Force, so we moved a lot. We were at Hanscom Air Force Base when I graduated and I’d fallen in love with Boston, so I stuck around even after my dad retired and they eventually moved to Florida.”

  “Military brat, huh? Explains your exceptional organizational and management skills.”

  She laughed. “I don’t know about that. But I think moving around so much helped spark my love for historical buildings. That permanent sense of home appeals to me. And as for organization and management, I’m a Virgo. I like to manage things.”

  “And BHR is thankful for that.”

  “What about you? I’ve read a lot of articles about you, but all the PR spin doesn’t really tell what sparked your passion.”

  He liked that she used the word passion. What he did wasn’t just a job for him. “Let’s get dressed and I’ll tell you all about it over breakfast.”

  Even though she shook her head, Adrian could see the smile playing at the corners of her mouth and knew she would give in. “I was planning to hang out in my room and get some work done.”

  “The problem with using that excuse is that I know there’s not really any work to be done right now.”

  She arched one eyebrow at him
. “Says the man who’s hosting an office Christmas party a week from today and thinks there are party-planning fairies, apparently.”

  “Even party planning fairies need to eat.” He held her gaze, willing her to say yes. He wasn’t ready for her to go back to work mode quite yet.

  “Okay, but just breakfast. Then I’m working.”

  * * *

  Even though it was only two doors down the hall, Rachel felt ridiculous walking to her room in a bathrobe with her clothes from the night before bundled in her arms. She wasn’t sure if it counted as a walk of shame, but she still sighed in relief when she got into her room without being seen.

  After dropping her clothes, she flopped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. She’d spent the night with Adrian Blackstone.

  While it was tempting to jump up and down on her bed, laughing and squealing, she forced herself to be still and think about how this would affect her position at Blackstone Historical Renovations.

  She guessed that would depend in no small part on what direction their relationship took when this idyllic forced vacation was over. Workplace romances were tricky, especially with him being her boss, but they could probably make it work. Or maybe he was just enjoying her company to keep the cabin fever at bay.

  With no crystal ball to help her see Adrian’s intentions, there was no sense in worrying about it, she decided. Time to get dressed and meet her breakfast date.

  Thankfully, Rachel always packed extra clothes and had subtly trained Adrian to do the same. Coffee spills and pasta sauce drips happened, as did the occasional time extension or travel detour. She pulled on a pair of black slacks and a spare white, button-down shirt before pulling her hair into a ponytail, though she skipped the straightener this time.

  When she stepped out into the hall and saw Adrian leaning against the wall opposite her door, her heart skipped a beat. Apparently one of his back-up outfits was the one he traditionally wore when he was going to an active construction site. Khakis and a dark green polo shirt embroidered with the company’s logo. The knit fabric hugged his chest and shoulders, and she wanted to run her hands over it.